H. G. Wells wrote the novel War of the Worlds in the late 1800's, establishing science fiction as serious literature.  Many  have called Wells a prophet because he predicted tanks, aerial bombing, nuclear war, gas warfare, laser-like weapons, and industrial robots  in an age where cars,  televisions, and  airplanes didn't even exist.  Over time, this novel has been made into movies, television shows, video games, and the radio show that we will be hearing.
On October 30, 1938,  an actor named Orson Welles directed and starred in a radio version of the book for a Halloween "treat" that turned out to be more of a "trick". In the late 30's, before television, families gathered around the radio every night after dinner for entertainment. On this evening, thousands tuned into CBS's Mercury Theater only to find that a horrifying even was taking place. Martians had landed and were taking over the country!!
Panic ensued, resulting in lawsuits against Welles and CBS totalling millions and creating the most notorious broadcast in history.
Read the full text of War of the Worlds, the novel.
Read  the full text of the actual radio script.
The attacking aliens are from Mars.
Want to know what is being discovered about the possibility of life on Mars?
Go to
NASA Center for Mars Exploration
Listen to the broadcast
info about H.G.Wells
Learn about the author
of the novel,  H.G.Wells.
Listen to the entire
 radio broadcast
online!
THE COMPLETE WAR OF THE WORLDS website
Read the
 New York Times article
from 1938 about the pandemonium the broadcast caused.
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Study guide for War of the Worlds
EVE OF THE WAR
A great new site dedicated to the novel and with lots of info about TWO 2005 theatrical versions of the story, one directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, and another by Pendragon Pictures that will be the first truly authentic adaptation.
The 2005 War of the Worlds theatrical release with Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg has a lot of folks pretty excited! You can read more about it at the following sites:
Internet Movie Database
War of the Worlds 2005 Official Site